I disagree if these people were close to title contention, especially with Shogun and Machida who are coming off recent fights. Its not like the UFC would say "sure, take this shot on short notice, and have another one if you don't win!" They have already lost to Jones before and if they blow their next title shots, won't be getting one again any time soon. They need to do everything they can in preparation for any shots they may get at Jones.

I clarified and I think you missed that post. Quotes denote sarcasm. I am being sarcastic, which I explained in an earlier post. Before that post, I said they have a legit reason to say no.

One of the gripes is Jones didn't step up to SAVE THE SHOW or worry about the other fighters. What you just posted falls in line with my clarified point. Those other fighters are worried about "short notice," might "blow their next title shots" and "won't be getting one again any time soon" which isn't worrying about the fighters who show was cancelled. In that same post I said I understand why they didn't accept.

All of those are legitimate reasons, but those fighters are worrying about themselves and protecting their best interests. Yes, that's what Jones is doing even if it is unpopular.

“When I heard it, I called Dana (White) and said I’d fight on the light heavyweight division although I wasn’t trained. Besides the big fight there are other fighters relying on that. I worried about the because I’ve been through that in smaller events.”

"(I'm) carrying the cross for my company's decision," Jones stated. "If someone has to take the blame, I will accept full responsibility for the way UFC 151 was canceled. I want to sincerely apologize to all the other athletes/fans who's (sic) time and money was waisted (sic). I feel terrible about the way that was handled."

I'm not suggesting Jones should have been forced to fight, but him not doing so, speaks volumes about his championship character (or lack of).

I don't compete in mma, I'm a fan. I was psyched for the Hendo/Fedor fight, and even though I rooted for Fedor and he lost, I was thrilled it actually went off. Jones/Sonnen would have been very fun.

Jones was protecting his record, at the expense of the sport IMO. That **** was a major turnoff. Just on the chance of an upset, he ducked a title defense.

Surely the odds of Chael coming without a camp and upsetting him, were smaller than Hendo beating him up. IMO Chael would not have been his match, but seeing it, far exceeds some excuses and ducking, from supposedly the best guy at that weight (for me a fan).

The Boxerizing of mma will make it a worse sport. The whole sell of it's ok Zuffa owns about 400 of the best 450 mma fighters contracts was that we would get fights. Ducking, even last minute, cheapens the value of the belts. He needed to be more Gandalf, and less Gollum.

Cheapens the value of the belt more than handing a title shot to a guy with no Light Heavyweight credentials, coming off of a loss, whose most impressive win in the last 2 years is against Brian Stann?

Yeah, choosing not to fight on short notice cheapens the belt a lot more than treating it like the WWE Hardcore Championship title.

Cheapens the value of the belt more than handing a title shot to a guy with no Light Heavyweight credentials, coming off of a loss, whose most impressive win in the last 2 years is against Brian Stann?

It's not short notice. Different opponent yes, but not short notice. He was peaking from a 10 week camp at one of the best schools in the sport. That isn't short notice.

It's an important distinction IMO.

Besides, Chael sells fights, dismantled Stann, and just lost to one of the lb4lb greats of all time, in AS. He was willing, and could probably have talked that fight into being even bigger than the planned Hendo/Jones matchup. They were scrambling, but I doubt they expected Jones to back out. Isn't he the hot ****? Isn't this the guy no one can beat?

You know, I feel like we've been given a little more insight into Jones as a person. He's not fake. He's completely socially brain-dead. I think his head is so far in the clouds that he legitimately doesn't get why everyone is rolling their eyes over this whole issue, from getting suckered into Sonnen's trash talk, to his weakass non-apology on twitter.

It's like he started being an elite athlete at such a young age that he's pretty much ivory-towered from the rest of the world, and doesn't get why people think he's a dick for things like not signing a little kid's replica title belt because "he didn't earn it", or whatever the hell it was he said at the time.

Sonnen doesn't take MMA seriously. I'm sure he trains and works as hard as anyone, but if he'd made the Olympics he would never have fought again. This brawling in cages business is on some level a sideshow to him and he considers it in terms of making money and making the noise that it takes to make him some money.

For Jones/Jackon MMA is the big show, it's a sacred endeavour for them as wrestling is for Sonnen. The reason they wouldn't take this fight is maybe secondarily about risk, but it's first and foremost about Sonnen's attempt to side-step the legitimate process and treat a serious thing like an inconvenient speed-bump on the way to a cut of the PPV.

He didn't refuse to fight. He refused a fighter. He was ready to fight a replacement, they went down a list, every fighter balked and when it came to Sonnen Jones said no.

To me, that's a completely different story. I mean I was fence sitting until that tidbit came out.

Originally Posted by PointyShinyBurn

For Jones/Jackon MMA is the big show, it's a sacred endeavour for them as wrestling is for Sonnen. The reason they wouldn't take this fight is maybe secondarily about risk, but it's first and foremost about Sonnen's attempt to side-step the legitimate process and treat a serious thing like an inconvenient speed-bump on the way to a cut of the PPV.

So now he gets and accepts Belfort. Dunno man, Vitor is arguably as undeserving of a LHW title shot as Sonnen. It seems illogical to deny Sonnen (specifically) but then accept Vitor. Keep in mind Sonnen was an emergency replacement, Vitor not so much. Who by the way, isn't that much of a legit challenge either since he has less than 4 weeks to train. And he's basically side-stepping the whole climb-the-contender-ladder process as well.

Vitor Belfort is a legend in the sport with a series of impressive victories in the infancy of the UFC, once being considered the most dominant champion of the sport and is experienced at fighting at LWH. He is coming off 2 victories in a lower weight class, both decisive.

Chael Sonnen is a loudmouth fuckstick whose greatest ability is trolling his way into title shots, which he then goes on to lose. He is coming off a decisive loss without looking the least bit impressive and 5 of his last 6 victories were by decision. He has not accomplished anything notable at LHW.

Skullfucking Sonnen in the first would do nothing for Jones' legacy. Vitor is still a credible opponent, despite his disappointing inconsistency.